If you're in B2B sales and tired of chasing bad leads, you're not alone. Most teams waste hours sorting “maybe” from “never” — and honestly, a lot of lead scoring systems just add more noise. This guide is for sales managers, RevOps folks, or anyone on a B2B sales team who wants to set up automated lead scoring in Hf without drowning in complexity or falling for shiny features that don’t move the needle.
Below, I’ll walk you through a real-world way to get automated lead scoring running in Hf. You’ll see what’s worth your time, what’s not, and how to avoid building a fancy system no one actually uses.
Step 1: Get Clear on What Makes a Good Lead (Don’t Skip This)
Before you touch Hf, take 30 minutes with your team to define what a “good” lead looks like for you. This sounds basic, but a ton of “automated scoring” projects flop because no one agrees on the fundamentals.
You need: - A list of attributes that actually matter (not just what’s easy to measure). - Simple definitions. “Company size 50+” or “Visited pricing page,” not “Innovative industry disruptor.” - Agreement between sales and marketing. If you skip this, you’ll score leads that no one wants.
Pro tip:
Don’t get fancy. Start with 3–5 attributes. You can always add more later, but you can’t automate guesswork.
Common B2B scoring attributes: - Job title or seniority - Company size or revenue - Industry or vertical - Engagement (email opens, page visits) - Source (where did they come from?)
Write these down somewhere everyone can see. You’ll need them for the next step.
Step 2: Set Up Your Data in Hf
You can’t score what you can’t see. Hf needs to have the right data fields for your leads — otherwise, any scoring rules you set up will be garbage in, garbage out.
In Hf, check that you have: - Custom fields for each attribute you want to score (e.g., “Job Title,” “Company Size”). - Activity tracking set up for stuff like email opens or site visits (if you plan to use engagement in your score). - Clean, reliable data. If your CRM is full of junk, fix that before automating anything.
How to do it: 1. Go to your Hf admin or settings panel. 2. Find the “Fields” or “Custom Fields” section. 3. Add any missing fields you need for scoring. 4. Test adding a new lead to make sure all fields show up.
What to ignore:
Don’t try to automate around missing or messy data. It’ll just make things worse.
Step 3: Decide on Your Scoring Model (Keep It Simple)
Now, choose how you’ll assign points. The classic mistake? Overcomplicating this with 10+ attributes, crazy weights, or trying to copy what a big SaaS company does.
A basic points model works best:
- Assign a simple point value to each key attribute.
- For example:
- +10 points for “Director” or higher
- +8 points for company size over 100
- +5 points for visit to pricing page
- -5 points for a personal email address (e.g., Gmail)
How to do this in Hf: - Go to the Lead Scoring or Automation section. - Create a new scoring rule. - For each attribute, set a trigger (e.g., “Job Title contains Director”) and assign points.
Pro tip:
Start with easy, obvious signals. You can always add nuance later.
What doesn’t work:
- Overweighting “engagement” (like email opens). It’s easy to game and often misleading.
- Copy-pasting a generic model from a blog post. Your own sales data is a better guide.
Step 4: Build the Automated Lead Scoring Rules in Hf
Time to get your hands dirty. In Hf, you can usually set up scoring rules using a visual builder or rule editor. Here’s how to do it without getting lost:
- Open the automation or lead scoring builder.
- If you’re new, look for tutorials or in-app help — Hf’s docs are usually pretty clear.
- Add your rules one at a time.
- For each attribute, set the condition and the number of points.
- Example: “IF Company Size > 100, THEN add 8 points.”
- Decide on a threshold for “qualified leads.”
- Don’t make this a mystery number. Start low (maybe 15–20 points).
- You’ll tweak this later based on real results.
Pro tip:
Document your logic somewhere. If you leave or someone else takes over, you want them to actually understand why a lead is scored the way it is.
What to ignore:
- Don’t build rules for every tiny variable. Focus on the big signals first.
- Don’t try to automate lead assignment or outreach yet. Nail scoring first.
Step 5: Test It with Real Leads
Don’t trust that your setup works — test it with real data.
How to sanity check: - Run your last month’s leads through the system. - See which ones score as “qualified.” - Ask your sales team: “Do these scores make sense? Who do you wish got higher (or lower) scores?”
You’ll probably find a few surprises. That’s normal.
Common issues: - Good leads getting low scores? You’re missing important signals. - Junk leads sneaking through? Time to tighten your rules.
Pro tip:
Don’t obsess over a perfect model. If your best-fit leads are at the top, you’re winning.
Step 6: Automate Notifications and Handoffs
Once your scores look right, automate what happens next. Don’t overthink this — start with simple notifications.
In Hf, you can: - Set up an alert (email, Slack, in-app) when a lead crosses your “qualified” score. - Tag or assign the lead to a specific sales rep or team. - Trigger a follow-up task or sequence.
What to avoid:
- Don’t route leads to your top sellers until you’re sure the scoring is working. Use a test group first.
- Don’t bury sales reps in “maybe” leads. Make sure only clear winners get flagged.
Step 7: Review and Improve (But Don’t Over-Engineer)
No lead scoring system is “set it and forget it.” Block 30 minutes every month to look at your results:
- Are your best leads still getting the highest scores?
- Are you missing hidden gems?
- Is anyone gaming the system (e.g., sending lots of emails just to boost scores)?
Tweak your rules — but don’t overhaul everything at once. Small, regular changes beat big, messy reworks.
What to ignore:
- Requests to add every possible data point. More isn’t always better.
- “AI-powered” promises unless you have the data and skills to back it up. Fancy scoring is useless if it’s a black box that sales reps don’t trust.
Wrapping Up: Don’t Let Perfect Be the Enemy
Automated lead scoring in Hf should make life easier, not harder. The best systems are simple, transparent, and trusted by your sales team. Start with just a few clear rules, get real feedback, and improve from there. If you keep it practical and resist the urge to overcomplicate, you’ll spend less time sorting leads and more time actually selling — and that’s the whole point.